Anti-Dengue Activity of Lipophilic Fraction of Ocimum basilicum L. Stem

Abstract

Ocimum basilicum L. is used to cure many types of fever in traditional medicine. This study aims to explore the antiviral activity of the lipophilic fraction of the stem of O. basilicum (LFOB) against dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The LFOB was analyzed using GC-FID and GC-MS. The antiviral activity of LFOB was studied using the Vero CCL-81 cell line. The cytotoxicity assay was performed using 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT). In vitro antiviral activity and FFU assay were used to determine and confirm antiviral activity against DENV and CHIKV. Twenty-six compounds were identified in LFOB using GC/MS. The most abundant compounds were β-sitosterol (22.9%), stigmasterol (18.7%), and campesterol (12.9%). Significant reduction in DENV titre was observed under pre- and post-infection treatment conditions at a concentration of 3.125 µg/mL, but no anti-CHIKV activity was observed. Our earlier and the present AutoDock-Vina-based in silico docking study revealed that β-sitosterol and stigmasterol could form strong interactions with the DENV E glycoprotein and DENV RdRp domain, respectively. Our findings suggest that LFOB can inhibit DENV infection and might act as a potent prophylactic/therapeutic agent against DENV-2. In silico results suggested that β-sitosterol and stigmasterol may block the viral entry by inhibiting the fusion process and viral replication respectively.

Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)―A Review of Its Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Activities, and Biotechnological Development

“…Phenolic compounds have been widely recognized for their beneficial properties and applications in the medical field [ 31 ]. Furthermore, O. basilicum L. extract was also found to contain phytosterols, such as β-sitosterol, stigmasterol [ 32 ], and campesterol [ 33 ].…”

“…Meanwhile, an in silico study of the lipophilic fraction showed that the two compounds had great binding affinity. Stigmasterol had a binding affinity for −8.3 Kcal/mol with NS1 protein, and campesterol exhibited the biggest binding affinity for −8.2 Kcal/mol with E glycoprotein [ 33 ]. A computational study demonstrated that this plant has the potential for antiviral drug development through its mechanism of inhibiting the active site of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) gp120 and gp41.…”